Zinédine Zidane had waited that long for his new job, five years, but he almost missed the beginning. When the first notes of the Marseillaise sounded in the Kocaeli Stadium in Izmit on Friday evening, the French national coach and his staff were missing because they had dawdled in the dressing room for too long.
But Zidane witnessed the end of the national anthem again, and after the start of the Nations League game in Turkey, he coached his team very awake in Zidane style to a 1-0 win: standing upright on the sidelines; gesticulating with arms and hands; sometimes he also applauds. Zidane was once allowed to stop a ball that rolled at his feet, showing the elegance that made him famous as a player and for which his supporters in France love him.
Zidane also radiated style and elegance visually: as he did recently at Real Madrid, he chose his typical combination, which shimmered black or dark blue depending on the light: suit, shirt, tie - all plain.
Zidane was now actually coaching Les Bleus, his national team, impatiently awaited by his fans who had never stopped adoring him, the once magical No. 10 with the huge aura. In 2021 he ended his engagement at Real Madrid and previously left a big mark there as a coach: three Champions League triumphs in a row (2016 to 2018) and two Spanish championship titles (2017 and 2020). He has received many offers since then, Zidane said in the days before his debut as French national coach, "but I was always waiting for this chance", for this job, for the managerial role at the Blues.
“We were all fans of his”
The players received him euphorically at the first training sessions at the beginning of last week. “We were all fans of his when we were children,” said Bayern central defender Dayot Upamecano. The French sports daily “L’Équipe” even sees Zidane as a demigod who has come down to earth at work.
What was particularly exciting was how the demigod Zidane interpreted his new task. ZZ followed DD, Didier Deschamps, and as players they became world champions together in 1998. Zidane even scored two headers in the 3-0 final win against Brazil. Deschamps was head of the French senior team for 14 years, from 2012 until after the 2026 World Cup, longer than any French national coach before him. In 2018 he also won the World Cup title as a coach. Deschamps stood for a tight organization, for safety over beauty and for a tactical orientation in the 4-2-3-1 pattern.
Zidane, on the other hand, prefers a 4-3-3 system. Zidane's ideal is high pressing, rapid passing sequences, attacking and quickly winning the ball back after mistakes. We could already see a lot of this in Turkey, but his players didn't offer a brilliant performance. Of course there is a lot to improve, Zidane said after the game: "But we can be satisfied. We kept the balance throughout the entire season."
It is obvious that Zidane wants to emancipate himself from Deschamps, and not just in terms of tactical direction. Deschamps always read the names of his nominees alphabetically. Zidane, on the other hand, presented them with a video produced by the AI. Above all, he said he had to rejuvenate his squad and did without some of Deschamps' favorite players. The brothers Lucas (30) and Theo Hernandez (28) are missing, as are Marcus Thuram (29), Lucas Digne (33) and N'Golo Kanté (35).
France's superstar Kylian Mbappé remains the captain, but Zidane moved him from the storm center that Deschamps had reserved for him to the left wing. On Friday in Turkey, Mbappé finally scored the goal of the evening from the left side with his right. So a successful tactical trick? It works like that, despite the hit. Mbappé didn't bring much momentum to the French game from the left. On top of that, he injured his left knee while shooting on goal and will be out of the next international matches.
Zidane doesn't like fashion antics
Zidane also implemented changes to the process compared to Deschamps: He decided to exclude camera teams when the players arrived at the French association's training center in Clairefontaine. This appearance was recently a bizarre fashion and social media show for the stars. Deschamps had nothing against the exalted self-portrayal of his players. The introverted Zidane doesn't like such antics; his focus should be on the sport, not on the players' outfits. It is fitting that Zidane no longer allows visits to the hairdresser in Clairefontaine.
On Monday (8.45 p.m.) Zidane and his selection will be visiting Belgium. Next Friday (8:45 p.m.) he will make his home debut against Italy. That too. In the World Cup final in Berlin 2006, Zidane's last game as a player, he first converted a penalty against the Italians elegantly in Panenka style. But later he was thrown off the field because of his temper. The headbutt against Marco Materazzi is legendary, “not an act of glory, but it is part of my history,” says Zidane. France lost the final.
On Friday, however, the present and future of the selection coached by Zidane will be at stake against Italy at the Stade de France. Already in Izmit he was received enthusiastically by the French fans and with banners celebrating him. In Saint-Denis there is likely to be an increase towards a veritable Zidane mania. Especially since he became world champion there as a player in 1998. With two Zizou goals.
